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Johnny Mercer: The Dream's On Me

"Hooray for Hollywood"; "Jeepers Creepers"; "That Old Black Magic"; "On the Atchison,
Topeka and the Santa Fe"; "Skylark"; "Blues in the Night"; "Moon River"; "The Days of Wine
and Roses." Some of the most beloved songs of the 20th century came from the pen of a
gap-toothed, Georgia-born lyricist, singer and composer named Johnny Mercer, whose solo
and collaborative efforts have kept the world singing for more than eight decades.

This November, commemorating the 100th anniversary of his birth, Turner Classic Movies
will celebrate the extraordinary music of this legendary personality with JOHNNY
MERCER: THE DREAM'S ON ME (2009), executive-produced by Oscar®-winning filmmaker Clint
Eastwood. The 100-minute special features countless performances of Mercer's work and an abundance of new and archival
interviews detailing his life and career. Produced by Rhapsody Productions in association
with TCM, Arena/BBC and Warner Home Video and commissioned by the Johnny Mercer
Foundation, the special is produced and directed by Bruce Ricker (Tony Bennett: The Music
Never Ends).

JOHNNY MERCER: THE DREAM'S ON ME opens with Eastwood and award-winning film
composer John Williams sitting at a piano reminiscing about what makes Mercer's songs so
memorable. That touchstone begins a loving portrait of the immensely talented songwriter,
told by the many collaborators and performers who have helped bring his songs to life.
New and archival interviews join with memorable clips of Mercer's songs by such legendary
performers as Ella Fitzgerald, Pearl Bailey, Fred Astaire, Andy Williams, Duke Ellington,
Dinah Shore, Barbra Streisand, Rosemary Clooney, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole,
Audrey Hepburn and the Mills Brothers. In addition, new renditions of Mercer's work are
created by singers Audra McDonald (with Williams accompanying on piano), Dr. John, Michael
Feinstein, Maude Maggart, Jamie Cullum and Morgan Eastwood.

The special also features rare interviews and performances by Mercer himself, including
television appearances on The Merv Griffin Show and the BBC's Parkinson.

Admired and praised by the likes of Irving Berlin and Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer has been
described as one of this country's greatest folk poets. Born and raised in Savannah, Ga.,
he grew up surrounded by the beauty of marshes, rivers and seacoast, and his lyrics often
reflect the imagery of the natural world. They also echo the cadence and expressions of
the African-American culture, the witty wordplay of William Gilbert and Noel Coward and
the populism of Tin Pan Alley.

Mercer began his rise to fame as a singer/songwriter for legendary jazz conductor Paul
Whiting. In 1935, he began working in Hollywood writing songs and occasionally appearing
in small musical roles. Throughout his extraordinary career, he wrote songs for nearly
100 films, picking up four Oscars® and 16 nominations. His more than 170
collaborators include Richard Whiting ("Hooray for Hollywood") Harry Warren ("Jeepers
Creepers" and "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe"); Hoagy Carmichael ("Lazybones"
and "Skylark"); Jerome Kern ("I'm Old Fashioned"); Harold Arlen ("Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the
Positive," "Blues in the Night," "That Old Black Magic" and "One For My Baby"); Henry
Mancini (the Academy Award-winning songs "Moon River" and "The Days of Wine and Roses");
Johnny Mandel ("Emily"); and John Williams ("The Long Goodbye").

In addition to his musical creativity, Mercer co-founded Capitol Records in 1942. He
persuaded a number of stars to record on the Capitol label, among them Jo Stafford, Peggy
Lee, Nat King Cole, Stan Kenton and his former boss, Paul Whiteman.

For all his success as a writer, performer and record producer, Mercer had one great
ambition left unfulfilled: a successful Broadway production. In 1946, he partnered with
Arlen on St. Louis Woman. The show produced several hit songs, including "Any Place I
Hang My Hat Is Home" and "Come Rain or Come Shine," but it was plagued with production
problems and harsh criticism for its inadequate book. It would be 1956 before Mercer
finally realized his dream of a hit Broadway show with L'il Abner.

Mercer passed away in 1976 in Los Angeles after suffering complications from surgery to
remove a brain tumor. He is buried in his hometown of Savannah in the Bonaventure
Cemetery, overlooking the Wilmington River, which served as the inspiration for his lyrics
to the song "Moon River." He earned a posthumous Tony nomination in 1983, when Seven
Brides for Seven Brothers became a Broadway musical. The Mercer House, which was
built by his grandfather, later became the setting for the bestselling novel and
subsequent Clint Eastwood-directed film Midnight in the Garden of Good and
Evil.